EP1350628B1 - Remaining-liquid-amount display apparatus and remaining-liquid-amount display method - Google Patents

Remaining-liquid-amount display apparatus and remaining-liquid-amount display method Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1350628B1
EP1350628B1 EP03007288A EP03007288A EP1350628B1 EP 1350628 B1 EP1350628 B1 EP 1350628B1 EP 03007288 A EP03007288 A EP 03007288A EP 03007288 A EP03007288 A EP 03007288A EP 1350628 B1 EP1350628 B1 EP 1350628B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
liquid
remaining
amount
ink
electrode units
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
EP03007288A
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German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1350628A2 (en
EP1350628A3 (en
Inventor
Takeo Eguchi
Takumi Namekawa
Kazuyasu Takenaka
Shinichi Horii
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Sony Corp
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Sony Corp
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Filing date
Publication date
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Publication of EP1350628A2 publication Critical patent/EP1350628A2/en
Publication of EP1350628A3 publication Critical patent/EP1350628A3/en
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Publication of EP1350628B1 publication Critical patent/EP1350628B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
    • B41J2/195—Ink jet characterised by ink handling for monitoring ink quality
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
    • B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
    • B41J2/17566—Ink level or ink residue control

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a remaining-liquid-amount display apparatus and a remaining-liquid-amount display method for displaying the amount of conductive liquid remaining in a liquid container.
  • the present invention is applied to, for example, a case where the amount of ink remaining in an inkjet printer is detected and displayed.
  • ink contained in an ink tank is supplied to an ink-discharge unit through an ink flow path, and ink droplets are discharged from the ink-discharge unit.
  • Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a first example of a known remaining-ink-amount detector (Japanese Patent Publication JP 5201019A).
  • an ink cartridge a includes elastic ink bags b, and the ink bags b are pushed by compression springs c.
  • strips d move as the amount of ink decreases, so that the amount of remaining ink can be determined by observing the displacement of the strips d through a window e. Accordingly, the amount of remaining ink can be easily detected at low cost.
  • Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a second example of a known ink-remaining-amount detector (Japanese/Patent Publication JP 9169118A).
  • the amount of remaining ink is calculated on the basis of an initial amount of ink contained in a tank and the number of times an ink droplet has been discharged.
  • An ink-discharge-amount calculator f includes a counter which counts the number of times an ink-discharge operation has been performed and a multiplier which multiplies the count by the amount of ink discharged in a single ink-discharge operation (average volume). Then, the thus obtained value is transmitted to an ink-remaining-amount calculator g as the amount of ink consumed. The ink-remaining-amount calculator g calculates the amount of remaining ink by subtracting the value calculated by the ink-discharge-amount calculator f from the initial amount of ink contained in the tank.
  • Fig. 4 is a sectional side view showing a third example of a known ink-remaining-amount detector (Japanese Patent. Publication JP 6226990A).
  • a pair of electrodes i are disposed at a position close to the bottom surface of an ink cell h, and the presence/absence of ink is detected on the basis of the resistance between the electrodes i.
  • Fig. 5 is a sectional side view showing a fourth example of a known ink-remaining-amount detector (Japanese Patent Publication JP2000043287A).
  • an optical sensor which includes light-reflecting members k1 and k2 disposed on the bottom surface of an ink tank j, light-emitting members m1 and m2 which emit light toward the light-reflecting members k1 and k2, respectively, and light-receiving members n1 and n2 which receive the light emitted from the light-emitting members m1 and m2 and reflected by the light-reflecting members k1 and k2, respectively, and the presence/absence of ink is detected on the basis of the manner in which light is received by the light-receiving members n1 and n2 of the optical sensor.
  • the first example in which the amount of remaining ink is determined by visual observation does not comply with the requirements of recent, high-quality inkjet printers.
  • mechanical displacements must be converted into electrical signals, which means that a complex structure is required and high costs are incurred.
  • the amount of ink consumed is calculated by multiplying the average volume of an ink droplet which is discharged in a single ink-discharge operation by the number of times the ink-discharge operation has been performed.
  • the ink tank has a large capacity
  • the difference between the actual volume of an ink droplet discharged and the average volume of an ink droplet which is set in advance gradually increases. Therefore, in view of safety, it is necessary to display a message indicating that the ink has run out while a relatively large amount of ink may still remain. Accordingly, the message indicating that the ink has run out must be displayed while an amount of ink sufficient to continue printing is still contained, and the therefore, remaining ink is wasted.
  • the printer cannot be used afterwards unless a spare ink cartridge is available.
  • the fourth example also has a problem similar to that of the third example.
  • the above-described optical sensor for detecting the amount of remaining ink and the method in which the number of times an ink droplet has been discharged is counted are used in combination, so that the accuracy is improved compared to the second example and the problem of the third example, that is, the message indicating that the ink has been run out is suddenly displayed, can be avoided.
  • the system since it is necessary to use the above-described two methods in combination for detecting the amount of remaining ink, the system becomes complex and high costs are incurred.
  • US-6007173-A discloses a remaining-liquid-amount display apparatus and method using a plurality of ink level sensors or conductors having different lengths and one common conductor which is tied to a voltage source. Depending on the liquid level, current flows between the common conductor and one or more of the level sensors. Since the distances between the common conductor and the different level sensors are different, signals of different rates may be measured. In particular, with a liquid of low conductivity, it may be difficult to convert these detection results into uniform display signals.
  • EP-10555520-A discloses an inkjet recorder comprising electrodes in the ink storage chamber for detecting the upper and lower limits of the ink liquid level. However, there is no possibility for estimating the amount of remaining ink when the level is between these limits. There may be the case in which the message indicating that the ink has run out is suddenly displayed and the print operation stops inadvertently.
  • EP-999063-A discloses an example of an ink jet printing apparatus which uses for detecting the actual ink remaining amount a common electrode and a plurality of vertically arranged electrodes.
  • the function of this known arrangement is nearly the same as in US-6007173-A discussed above.
  • an object of the present invention is to proide an apparatus and a method for accurately detecting and displaying, in steps, an amount of liquid, such as an ink, remaining in a container thereof with a simple structure.
  • the electrode units are arranged along a direction in which the liquid level falls when the amount of liquid in the container decreases. Therefore, the electrode units which are above the liquid level are not in contact with the liquid, and the electrode units which are below the liquid level are in contact with the liquid.
  • the electrode units which are in contact with the liquid conduct current, while the electrode units which are not in contact with the liquid does not conduct current.
  • the position of the liquid level relative to the positions of the electrode units can be detected by determining whether or not the electrode units, which are arranged along the direction in which the liquid level falls when the amount of liquid in the container decreases, conduct current. Then, the amount of liquid remaining in the container is displayed in steps by using the detection result. Accordingly, not only can the presence/absence of the liquid be simply displayed, but the amount of the remaining liquid can be accurately displayed in steps (for example, the percentage of the remaining liquid to the amount when the container is full) with a simple structure.
  • Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a remaining-liquid-amount display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • an ink-remaining-amount display apparatus 10 used in an inkjet printer or the like will be described as an example.
  • a container 11 contains ink for an inkjet printer or the like.
  • An ink-injection hole 11a is formed in the top surface of the container 11, and an ink outlet 11b is formed in the bottom surface of the container 11.
  • the ink outlet 11b is connected to an ink flow path of a printer head (not shown).
  • An ink-remaining-amount detection substrate (hereinafter called simply a substrate) 20 is disposed in the container 11 at the central position of the container 11.
  • the substrate 20 serves to determine the amount of remaining liquid by detecting the liquid level.
  • the substrate 20 is disposed at the central position where the influence of the tilt of the container 11 is minimum (that is, where the displacement of the liquid level is minimum), so that the liquid level can be accurately detected even when the container 11 is somewhat tilted.
  • a plurality of electrode units 21 are provided on the substrate 20. More specifically, seven electrode units 21 are constructed of seven detection electrodes 21a to 21g and seven common electrodes 21h. Each of the common electrodes 21h is disposed at a position close to one of the detection electrodes 21a to 21g.
  • the liquid level moves downward in the figure (that is, in the direction from the ink-injection hole 11a to the ink outlet 11b). More specifically, the liquid level moves in the direction of gravity when the amount of ink decreases.
  • the detection electrode 21a is disposed at the top position (a position at which the detection electrode 21a comes into contact with the ink when the container 11 is full), and the detection electrode 21g is disposed at a position close to the bottom surface of the container 11.
  • the detection electrodes 21a to 21g are arranged along the direction in which the liquid level falls as the amount of ink decreases, that is, in the direction of gravity, at fixed intervals.
  • the detection electrodes 21a to 21g are individually connected to their respective wiring patterns, and the seven common electrodes 21h are connected in parallel to a single wiring pattern and are grounded.
  • the common electrodes 21h may be constructed such that the entire region of the common electrodes 21h and the wiring pattern come into contact with the ink. However, in the present embodiment, only the rectangular regions of the common electrodes 21h come into contact with (are exposed to) the ink, and the wiring pattern is covered such that it does not come into contact with the ink. Thus, the regions of the common electrodes 21h which come into contact with the ink are made as small as possible.
  • the surface area of the detection electrodes 21a to 21g may be the same as that of the common electrodes 21h. Alternatively, the surface area of the common electrodes 21h may be greater than that of the detection electrodes 21a to 21g.
  • the ink has a relatively low conductivity, there is a risk that electrical connection between each of the detection electrodes 21a to 21g and the corresponding common electrode 21h cannot be sufficiently ensured. However, such a situation can be avoided by making the surface area of the common electrodes 21h greater than that of the detection electrodes 21a to 21g.
  • the electrode units 21 are constructed such that they have water repellent surfaces.
  • the electrode units 21 may be composed of a water-repellent material, or a water-repellent coating may be applied to the surface of each electrode unit 21. Accordingly, when, for example, one of the electrode units 21 becomes free from the ink, the ink can be removed from the surface of that electrode unit 21 as quickly as possible, and a false detection, that is, the electrode unit 21 being determined to be in contact with the ink even when it is already free from the ink, can be prevented.
  • each electrode unit 21 is coated with a surface-treated layer having corrosion resistance to the ink and to air.
  • Various kinds of plating materials may be used for forming the surface-treated layer, and gold plating is applied in the present embodiment.
  • the surface-treated layer is provided in order to prevent temporal degradation of the characteristics of the electrode units 21. More specifically, depending on the kind of metal used for forming the electrode units 21, there is a risk that the metal (electrode units 21) will dissolve in the ink due to physical or electrochemical changes which occur when the electrode units 21 come into contact with the ink contained in the container 11. In addition, when the electrode units 21 come into contact with air, there is a risk that the surfaces of the electrode units 21 will be oxidized and the electrical characteristics thereof will change, for example, the electrical resistance will increase. In such a case, it may not be possible to establish electrical connection between each of the detection electrodes 21a to 21g and the corresponding common electrode 21h. Accordingly, in order to avoid such situations, the surface-treated layer having corrosion resistance to the ink and to air is applied on the surface of each electrode unit 21.
  • each resistance 12 is electrically connected to a D-input terminal of one of the DFFs 13, and each of the detection electrodes 21a to 21g is electrically connected to one of electrical lines connecting the resistances 12 to their respective DFFs 13.
  • Resistances having high resistance values are used as the resistances 12.
  • the presence/absence of the ink is detected on the basis of whether or not the detection electrodes 21a to 21g are in contact with the ink.
  • resistances having high resistance values are used in order that a sufficient potential difference can be obtained between a case where the detection electrodes 21a to 21g are in contact with the ink and a case where the detection electrodes 21a to 21g are not in contact with the ink.
  • the above-described seven resistances 12 are connected to a pulse generator 15, which corresponds to a voltage source of the present invention, with a delay circuit 14 therebetween.
  • a clock pulse output from the pulse generator 15 is input to a clock pulse (CK) input terminal of each of the DFFs 13.
  • Seven LED drivers 16, each of which includes a NOT gate, are provided in accordance with the DFFs 13 at the output side of the DFFs 13, and Q-output terminals of the DFFs 13 are individually connected to their respective LED drivers 16.
  • seven light-emitting diodes (LEDs) 17, which correspond to a remaining-liquid-amount display unit of the present invention, are provided in accordance with the LED drivers 16 at the output side of the LED drivers 16, and the LED drivers 16 are individually connected to the anodes of their respective LEDs 17.
  • the LEDs 17 are disposed at a position viewable by the user.
  • the pulse generator 15 outputs a clock pulse only when the amount of remaining ink is to be detected.
  • the amount of remaining ink may also be continuously detected by continuously transmitting clock pulses (that is, by continuously applying a current). Since the amount of remaining ink can be detected by a small current, adverse affects do not easily occur even when the current is applied continuously. However, since there is a risk that the ink will be electrolyzed and the characteristics of the ink will change depending on the amount of current applied, the current is applied only for the time necessary for the detection of the amount of remaining ink (for example, several milliseconds).
  • the potential is at a high level, that is, "1 (high)", at one end of all of the resistances 12.
  • the detection electrodes 21a to 21g and the common electrodes 21h are in contact with the ink, the current flows from the detection electrodes 21a to 21g to their respective common electrodes 21h, and to the ground. Accordingly, the potential at the D-input terminals of the DFFs 13 is set to a low level, that is, "0 (low)", so that the D-input terminals of the DFFs 13 receive "0" as an input value.
  • the detection electrodes 21a to 21g and the common electrodes 21h are not in contact with the ink, the current does not flow from the detection electrodes 21a to 21g to their respective common electrodes 21h, and thus the detection electrodes 21a to 21g function as open ends. Accordingly, the potential at the D-input terminals of the DFFs 13 does not change from the applied potential, that is, the high level "1", and the D-input terminals of the DFFs 13 receive "1" as the input value.
  • the time at which the clock pulse is input to the CK-input terminals of the DFFs 13 and the time at which the D-input terminals of the DFFs 13 receive the input values via the resistances 12 are adjusted by the delay circuit 14 such that the falling edge of the clock pulse is input to the CK-input terminals of the DFFs 13 while "0" or "1" is being input to the D-input terminals of the DFFs 13.
  • the output signals from the Q-output terminals of the DFFs 13 are input to and inverted by their respective LED drivers 16. More specifically, the LED drivers 16 output “0” if “1” is input from the Q-output terminals, and output “1” if “0” is input from the Q-output terminals.
  • output signals from the LED drivers 16 are input to their respective LEDs 17.
  • the LEDs 17 are turned off when “0" is input and are turned on when “1" is input.
  • the detection electrodes 21a, 21b, and 21c which are the first to third detection electrodes from the top, are not in contact with the ink. Accordingly, "1" is input to the D-input terminals of the corresponding DFFs 13 and output from the Q-output terminals thereof, and is inverted to "0" by the corresponding LED drivers 16. Accordingly, "0" is input to the corresponding LEDs 17, so that the LEDs 17 are turned off.
  • the detection electrodes 21d, 21e, 21f, and 21g which are the fourth to seventh detection electrodes from the top, are in contact with the ink. Accordingly, "0" is input to the D-input terminals of the corresponding DFFs 13 and output from the Q-output terminals thereof, and is inverted to "1" by the corresponding LED drivers 16. Accordingly, "1" is input to the corresponding LEDs 17, so that the LEDs 17 are turned on. In Fig. 1, the LEDs 17 which are turned on are indicated by hatched lines.
  • the amount of remaining ink can be displayed in eight steps, and the user can determine the amount of remaining ink in eight steps by observing the display apparatus. For example, when four of the seven LEDs 17 are turned on and the remaining three are turned off, as shown in Fig. 1, it means that the amount of remaining ink is slightly more than half-full.
  • an amount of liquid remaining in a container thereof can be accurately displayed with a simple structure.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Quality & Reliability (AREA)
  • Ink Jet (AREA)
  • Measurement Of Levels Of Liquids Or Fluent Solid Materials (AREA)
EP03007288A 2002-04-02 2003-03-31 Remaining-liquid-amount display apparatus and remaining-liquid-amount display method Expired - Fee Related EP1350628B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2002099655 2002-04-02
JP2002099655A JP2003291367A (ja) 2002-04-02 2002-04-02 液体残量表示装置

Publications (3)

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EP1350628A2 EP1350628A2 (en) 2003-10-08
EP1350628A3 EP1350628A3 (en) 2003-10-29
EP1350628B1 true EP1350628B1 (en) 2006-07-19

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US (2) US7059696B2 (zh)
EP (1) EP1350628B1 (zh)
JP (1) JP2003291367A (zh)
KR (1) KR20030079750A (zh)
CN (1) CN100529688C (zh)
DE (1) DE60306833T2 (zh)
SG (1) SG125912A1 (zh)

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EP1350628A2 (en) 2003-10-08
CN100529688C (zh) 2009-08-19
CN1460842A (zh) 2003-12-10
JP2003291367A (ja) 2003-10-14
US20030214545A1 (en) 2003-11-20
SG125912A1 (en) 2006-10-30
US7896454B2 (en) 2011-03-01
US20060203017A1 (en) 2006-09-14
US7059696B2 (en) 2006-06-13
KR20030079750A (ko) 2003-10-10
DE60306833D1 (de) 2006-08-31
DE60306833T2 (de) 2007-02-15
EP1350628A3 (en) 2003-10-29

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